In the city of Puri, to the west of the Gundicha temple and to the east of the holy Indradyumna Sarovar, there is a temple known as the Yajna Narasimha temple. This temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Narasimha, the fourth incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. The height of the temple is about 60 feet. Local people also call this Nursingha temple.
Deities worshiped at the Narasimha Temple in Puri
The presiding deity of the temple is Bhagwan Narasimha. There are two images of Bhagwan Narasimha inside the temple, one behind the other in front. The front image is said to be the 'calm' Narasimha. In the local language, 'calm' means 'shant'. Whoever sees this image of Bhagwan Narasimha, his anger, despair and anxiety will go away. The deity at the back is called Ugra Narasimha. In the local language 'Ugra' means 'angry'.
The story behind the Narasimha Temple, Puri
According to legend, when Kalapahad attacked Puri and was smashing the deities of various temples, he saw the image of the calm Narasimha and his anger subsided; So he could not break the deity as he had planned. Shanta Narasimha has human-like features. Non-Hindus are not allowed in the temple, but the deities are seen through the door.
There is a story behind the name of the temple 'Yagya Narasimha'. As depicted in the Puranas, once King Indradyumna stayed near the Nilakantheswara temple to make arrangements for performing the Ashwamedha Yagya for a thousand years. On the advice of sage Narada, King Indradyumna made an image of Nrisimha out of black stone and placed the image under a black sandalwood tree and worshiped him.
It is believed that the Ashwamedha Yajna took place in front of this temple and hence he was known as 'Yagya Narasimha'. If devotees visit Sri Neelakantheswara, Yagya Narasimha and Panchamukhi Hanuman (the image of Bhagwan Hanuman with five faces) after a holy bath in Indradyumna Sarovar, they will get more merit.
Major Festivals at Narasimha Temple, Puri
The festivals of Narasimha Jayanti, Satpuri Amavasya etc. are celebrated with great devotion in the Narasimha temple.
How to Reach Narasimha Temple, Puri?
Puri city is very well connected by road, railways and airways. So any devotee can reach Puri very easily and visit the Narasimha Temple.
5:30 am – 9:00 pm
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